This updates a story posted at 3:07 p.m. By Jovana Gec BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Protesters throwing stones and bottles clashed with baton-wielding riot police Sunday in Belgrade after several thousand Serbian nationalist supporters of jailed war-crimes suspect Ratko Mladic rallied outside the parliament building to demand his release. By the time the crowds broke up by late evening,...
View full sizeSupporters of genocide suspect Ratko Mladic gather during a rally organized by the ultranationalist Serbian Radical Party in front of the Parliament building, in Belgrade, Serbia, on Sunday, May 29, 2011. Mladic was arrested on Thursday in a village in Serbia after 16 years on the run. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)This updates a story posted at 3:07 p.m.
By Jovana Gec
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Protesters throwing stones and bottles clashed with baton-wielding riot police Sunday in Belgrade after several thousand Serbian nationalist supporters of jailed war-crimes suspect Ratko Mladic rallied outside the parliament building to demand his release.
By the time the crowds broke up by late evening, about 100 people were arrested and 16 minor injuries were reported. That amounted to a victory for the pro-Western government, which arrested Mladic on Thursday, risking the wrath of the nationalist old guard in a country with a history of much larger and more virulent protests.
Rioters overturned garbage containers, broke traffic lights and set off firecrackers as they rampaged through downtown. Cordons of riot police blocked their advances, and skirmishes took place in several locations in the center of the capital.
Doctors said six police officers were among the 16 people brought to a hospital with minor injuries. Police remained on the streets as the crowds broke up.